David Matthews

Association is set to cost Wellington around €2M this year rising to €5M by the end of the programme. So far, researchers in New Zealand have applied for more than €7M of funding

After a two-year stand-off, followed by a wave of optimism when the stalemate over Northern Ireland trading arrangements finally ended back in March, a deal on UK association seems to be getting closer. So what took so long?

Media reports of a draft deal between the two sides remain unconfirmed by EU officials, but various groups in the research community have welcomed positive signs

Science|Business finds five Marie Curie projects that include as participants some of China’s ‘Seven Sons of National Defence,’ risking aid to its military. This is what these projects involve

A Science|Business investigation finds five ongoing EU research projects that include China’s ‘Seven Sons of National Defence’ universities, in network security, heat transfer and drones. No comment from Brussels, but experts warn of danger

Academics and university lobbyists are celebrating after Commission president said Windsor framework is ‘good news for scientists and researchers’. But there’s no clarity on how long association will now take.

Having missed out on the first two years, the government says it will not be paying in the full £6.9B put aside to join the research programme. And with association still to be agreed, plans for alternatives are promised soon  

Mirroring a change in sentiment across the EU, Germany’s ‘future strategy’ demands more reciprocity from Beijing on access to research data. A separate China strategy, currently debated in government, could also shift German policy

With signs a deal is being agreed on the Northern Ireland Protocol, association could be near. But having been shut out of Horizon Europe for two years, the UK hopes to renegotiate financial terms, and wants talks to start now

The move mirrors similar strategies announced by the US and governments in Europe since Russia invaded Ukraine